Tourism bosses in Helensburgh say the human connection is more important than ever in making the area attractive to visitors.
Destination Helensburgh says that in-person interaction is vital, both for visitors and the wellbeing of the local community.
The visitor information centre opened in 2020 because the local destination management organisation thought there was “a lack of tourist information about and promotion of the town and district”.
The centre, on Sinclair Street, is also a gift shop and source for information on the huge variety of groups and events happening in and around Helensburgh.
In May 1974, the town welcomed the opening of the Clyde Tourist Association's visitor centre.
The caravan boasted plenty success in its first three days, receiving 191 inquiries, 17 of them from foreign visitors.
Dr Anne Foy, director of modern successor Destination Helensburgh, says that even in the digital age, the human connection is key.
She said: “Our view is that people like to ask someone local for recommendations, rather than just relying on online reviews.
“Personal local knowledge can give a much more tailored experience for a visitor, centred on their specific interests, especially when people are looking for unique and authentic experiences.
“You would be surprised how many visitors come into Destination Helensburgh who have no knowledge of Charles Rennie Mackintosh and the Hill House, which is the top attraction you would find if you were looking online or in a guidebook.
"And this includes younger visitors. We get a lot of students down from Glasgow on the train who want to ask someone what there is to see and do, rather than following whatever the top online recommendation is."
Anne says Destination Helensburgh's What's On calendar is also very popular, and they are able to sell tickets to events in Helensburgh and Lomond.
When not everyone has internet access to book seats or check bus timetables, they can help residents.
VisitScotland has announced it will be closing all of its visitor information centres by 2026.
The public body hasn't had a physical presence in Helensburgh since the closure of its information point at the Clock Tower on the seafront several years ago, and says the closure of its in-person facilities - with the one in Balloch now the nearest to the town - is essential as more and more visitors move towards seeking information online about places to go and things to do.
But Destination Helensburgh says that while its in-person centre is vital, it's committed to adapting and growing in the digital sphere too.
READ MORE: Visitor centres still have a big role to play, Destination Helensburgh insists
Anne says the information centre uses its website alongside social media platforms such as Facebook and Instagram.
Destination Helensburgh also works with social media influencers to promote Helensburgh and Lomond, and provides free content for the Discover Helensburgh app.
Even before the 1974 centre, though, tourism in Helensburgh dates back a long way.
The town's Provost, Henry Bell, opened the Baths Inn in the town for sea bathing in 1809, but in those days it took more than six hours to reach Helensburgh by coach from Glasgow.
That prompted Bell to launch the paddle steamer Comet, which entered service in 1812 as the first commercially successful steamship in Europe.
The Comet cut the journey time from Glasgow to three and a half hours, and blazed a trail for 'doon the watter' holidaymakers, seeking breaks in the fresh air away from the hustle, bustle and pollution of industrial city life, that would last well into the second half of the 20th century.
By 1834 it was reported that the town's population went up by 50 per cent in the summer months, and of the 217 households in the area, 126 of them offered summer lodgings.
The railway arrived in 1858, which brought even more visitors, and Destination Helensburgh also has an array of historic postcards showing visitors enjoying the promenade, the outdoor swimming pool and donkey rides on the beach.
That 1974 caravan was, at least in part, a move to try and boost Helensburgh's standing among potential visitors, as resorts on the Clyde looked to try and address the growing popularity, and accessibility, of overseas package holidays - and Destination Helensburgh's work shows that those efforts to promote the attractions of the town, and the wider area, are still going strong half a century on.
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